WASHINGTON -- Coach Bruce Cassidy was fired Wednesday by the Washington Capitals, who are mired at the bottom of the NHL standings despite one of the league's highest payrolls.

Assistant coach Glen Hanlon will replace Cassidy. Hanlon joined the staff last season after spending three seasons as coach of the Portland Pirates, Washington's AHL affiliate.

The Capitals are 8-18-1-1 with 18 standings points, tied with Pittsburgh for fewest in the league.

Washington has struggled with an inexperienced defense and also has had trouble scoring despite a lineup that includes Jaromir Jagr, Peter Bondra and Robert Lang.

Cassidy replaced Ron Wilson in June 2002 in a hiring that was seen as a gamble by general manager George McPhee. Cassidy had no NHL coaching experience, and the best line on his resume was that he was an AHL coach of the year with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Cassidy arrived to find that his in-your-face style did not always mesh with the NHL's highly paid players. The Capitals made the playoffs last season but were eliminated in the first round by Tampa Bay.

This season, Cassidy has clashed with players, but he also had to deal with a severe talent drain. The money-losing Capitals, looking to trim payroll, no longer have defensemen Calle Johansson (retired) and Ken Klee (departed via free agency). Captain Steve Konowalchuk was traded to Colorado early in the season.

The Capitals had some temporary success when Cassidy put Jagr, Bondra and Lang on the same line. But teams have recently concentrated on shutting down that unit, leaving the Caps again struggling for goals.

Cassidy went 47-47-9-7 overall with Washington.

Hanlon was 110-94-29-7 with the Pirates, leading the team to two playoff appearances. Like Cassidy, he also won an AHL coach of the year award, in 1999-00. Hanlon was also an assistant with Vancouver for eight seasons.

His first game as head coach will be Thursday night at home against Boston.

espn.com
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Well it finally happend. Everyone expected this, but what the hell took so long?

I guess this wasn't a big shock. I mean Jamoir isn't having a typical season and the team has several over priced players who just aren't producing, and guys that they can't move. Not all the coaches fault, but they need someone to come in and shake this team up, i'm sure the ex coach will find another job.

You can't just move a team because no one goes to their games. Half the leagues doesn't get sell outs. And you can't blame the fans for not going. They are the worst team in the league.

if the capitals were winning the fans still wouldnt go, so theres no point for them to have a team, last year in one of their first round playoff games the game went to overtime, and the whole arena was empty.

Yeah look at New Jersey, they have shit attendence but they still have one of the best teams year in and year out.

So I guess they should be moved too right?

Actually there was talk about them moving. Its nothing about attendence though. Its nothing serious right now, but you never know whats going to happen. It has to do with the whole Nets/Yankees/Devils group they have. The group is breaking up, and the Nets might move to Brooklyn. But there saying that the Devils can't afford to stay at Containtial Air Lines area them selfs, forcing them to move maybe.

You didn't answer my question. I asked what cities are left for teams to move to in the U.S?

there are many, in the north, places like wisconsin, portland, seattle there are many fans there, instead they have them in cities like nashville atlanta carolina, phenoix, washington, these places dont even know what hockey means. hartford is another place where there are many fans still.